Colorado District Judge Marie Avery Moses has upheld a defamation lawsuit brought against interests and individuals including the Trump campaign after attempts from those targeted to have it dismissed. The case was filed by former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer, and besides Trump’s campaign, Coomer’s litigation also targets Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, One America News, and others.
The judge’s decision to allow the case to proceed over the apparent objections of interests including the Trump campaign means, CNN notes, that it’s moving towards trial — and the opportunity for a more extensive discovery process allowing for the uncovering of additional details about the months-long campaign of deception in which Trump and allies of his engaged. Coomer is one of the many who’ve been targeted in some form by conspiracy theories from the former president, Giuliani, and others about supposed widespread election fraud that was allegedly responsible for Biden’s 2020 win, although there’s never been any real-world evidence for their allegations.
The Select Committee has subpoenaed Representatives Kevin McCarthy, Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs, and Mo Brooks for deposition testimony as part of the committee’s investigation into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and its causes.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) May 12, 2022
“There is no constitutional value in false statements of fact or the deliberate spread of dangerous and inflammatory political disinformation designed to sow distrust in democratic institutions… The public has an active interest in ensuring that there are remedies for defamatory statements,” Moses stated. According to CNN, “At this stage of the proceedings, the judge must treat the evidence and claims put forward by Coomer as true.” And as the judge explained certain conclusions: “There is evidence that Giuliani’s allegations against Coomer conformed to a preconceived storyline of fraud given his allegations of fraud after the election… Further, there is evidence that Giuliani had incentive to defame Coomer both in support of former President Trump and to maintain national attention. This evidence is sufficient to support a finding of actual malice.”
New: Jan. 6 committee on Rudy Giuliani expected no-show tomorrow: “Giuliani is an important witness to the conspiracy to overthrow the government and he remains under subpoena. If he refuses to comply the committee will consider all enforcement options.”
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 6, 2022
As for Trump, the “Trump Campaign continues to take the position that the election was the result of fraud but has presented absolutely no facts in support of that claim, and no idea how Coomer could have aided in alleged election fraud,” the judge found. A campaign representative has already been deposed in these proceedings, which the judge referenced. During Giuliani’s deposition, he apparently revealed that he spent “virtually no time investigating” bonkers claims about Coomer supposedly bragging about participating in election-rigging on a conference call before spreading references to them, Moses summarized.
BREAKING: Jan. 6 committee to subpoena House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other Republicans: Jordan, Biggs, Brooks, Perry per sources familiar
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 12, 2022
At a November 19, 2020, press conference, Giuliani ridiculously claimed: “By the way, the [Coomer] character who is close to Antifa, took off all of his social media. Aha! But we kept it, we’ve got it. The man is a vicious, vicious man. He wrote horrible things about the President. He is completely biased. He’s completely warped and he specifically says that they’re going to fix this election. I don’t know what you need to wake you up, to do your job and inform the American people, whether you like it or not, of the things they need to know. This is real. It is not made up. There’s nobody here that engages in fantasies.” Well, that didn’t work out to be accurate — by a long shot. Other defendants in Coomer’s litigation include conservative commentators/ media figures Eric Oltmann — who initially spread claims about that imaginary call — Michelle Malkin, Jim Hoft, and Chanel Rion, who’s with One America News.
New: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on prospect of retaliatory subpoenas to Dems should Republicans take House majority in 2022: “I’m not afraid of precedent. We’re seeking the truth. And we’re not going to be cowards like they are.”
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 13, 2022
